The Poor Relief (Ireland) Act became law on July 31st
1838. It provided for the establishment of Boards of
Guardians who operated in areas known as Poor Law Unions. In
February, 1840 it was reported with surprise in the Carlow
Sentinel that the Poor Law had not yet been adopted in
Carlow. On July 18th of that year a notice appeared in the
same local paper announcing a meeting "for the purpose of
explaining the arrangements contemplated for the formation
of a Union". This meeting was convened by R.M. Muggeridge,
Assistant Poor Law Commissioner on July 23rd 1840 in Carlow
Courthouse. A number of Landed Proprietors and other
gentlemen were in attendance.

The following also attended:

Sir Thomas Butler Bart,

James Butler,

Col. Bruen,

Peter Gale,

Robert Clayton Browne,

John Watson,

William Duckett,

Joseph Fishbourne,

Henry Faulkner,

William Fishbourne,

William Garrett,

Samuel Elliott,

James H. Eustace,

Thomas H. Watson,

John James Lecky,

Thomas Haughton,

William R. Stewart,

Samuel Haughton,

William Cope Cooper,

John Nolan,

William Fishbourne (snr),

William Robert Lecky,

William Fishbourne (jnr),

John Watson.

Bishop Haly

a number of clergy and many cess payers were also
at the meeting.

Bishop Francis Haly was Bishop of Kildare and Leighlin
from 1838-1855. He was a native of Doonane Parish in the
Queen's County (Co. Laois) and was educated at Maynooth
College, which he entered in 1807. His first appointment as
a priest was to the parish of Rathvilly in Co. Carlow. Dr.
Haly died on the 19th August, 1855. He is buried beside Dr.
James Warren Doyle (J.K.L.) in Carlow Cathedral.

The Assistant Poor Law Commissioner stated that the first
thing to be done was the marking out of the Boundaries for
the Union. The area of the Poor Law Union was to consist of
"the entire Baronies of Carlow, Idrone East and Idrone West
in the County of Carlow, and the Barony of Slievemargy in
Queen County, also the whole of the Barony of Forth (with
the exception of a part of the parish of Barragh) and the
parishes of Tullowphelim, Fenagh and Ardristan in the Barony
of Rathvilly and of four townlands in the County of
Kildare".

The Union was to be divided into fourteen electoral
divisions. Eleven divisions in were in County Carlow and
three in the Queens' County.

Source: Carlow Library

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